Article: Alpha Flight To End With #8 *SPOILERS FOR #4* *UPDATED*

[kingdomofevan]

We won. No rage here. Satisfaction and the knowledge that we went out on a high note... which paves the way for v5 when it's right. I'm sure we'll get Alpha Flight back in some incarnation and I hope it's half as good as this time around.

Well said. The fact is, Alpha Flight is alive in the Marvel U again, which is better than where we were before Chaos War. Now other writers have Pak and Van Lente's fresh characterization of the team to draw on, and if we see those characters in action in other books, great.

[Phil]

Good point....I find it odd that Marvel has so little faith in Alpha Flight when (as we've seen) it's outselling a lot of their other books still.

It's really not though.
It's only outselling 4 other ongoings, and if sales are dropping at the rate they are then #5 probably won't be outselling all of those, by #8 probably none of those.

Marvel can't pander to the 24,000 of us that actually like AF. It's just not practical.
And I can honestly say that if I were in control of Marvel finances I'd have to do the same.
It's nothing personal against AF; they really pushed it this time.

A clean, tight, finished maxi-series really is the best option.
Two months ago that was all we were expecting, all we were getting and that was fine.

Let's look forward to the next event-tied-in mini.

[Wolfie]

I think the reason we're all so gut-wrenched about it is that Alpha Flight v4 is awesome. If it were 2nd rate or not enjoyable, or the art sucked, or the characters were off, or it weren't tied into the 30+ years of Alpha Flight history, or if Marvel hadn't made an effort, or if the creators were inaccessible.... we'd probably take this news with a nod and be *****ing at the writers and artists and whining about what could've been...

Instead, we hold the artists and writers so closely and dearly and desperately want more of the same. I think we're in a good place here. I bet FREG's ending to #8 will be a satisfying end.

Let's review:

Temporal copies: gone
Claire: has a name
Dead Alphans: resurrected credibly
Puck: frakkin' awesome
History of Alpha Flight: honored
O Canada: Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Ranark: returned, worse than before!
The Master: returned, still worse!
Purple Girl: Purple Woman
LGBT: Kyle is a real person. Northstar has a real boyfriend. Nod to Tim Fish of course.
Marrina: has a personality now. Most love her. Including me. I love you Marrina.
Gary Cody: returned. not sure if kidding
Phil Jiminez covers: Awesome
Signings, variants, the promo poster, 0.1 issue, video @ marvel.com, variant covers @ Fan Expo: Awesome
Wolfie: Love you! XOXO

I hate that we didn't get an ongoing and hate that we got jerked around there with that announcement.. but we got a great deal. We won. No rage here. Satisfaction and the knowledge that we went out on a high note... which paves the way for v5 when it's right. I'm sure we'll get Alpha Flight back in some incarnation and I hope it's half as good as this time around.

Love,
rplass

Aww, thanks rplass! {{{HUG}}} That was a really nice recap -- and I love Marrina too! <3 I am definitely as bummed as you all are, if not more. I thought this team really SHONE, and it's a real shame that it can't keep going.

Woolf

[Sypes]

Aww, thanks rplass! {{{HUG}}} That was a really nice recap -- and I love Marrina too! <3 I am definitely as bummed as you all are, if not more. I thought this team really SHONE, and it's a real shame that it can't keep going.

Woolf

Wolfie,

This might be premature, but where can we see more of Dale's work in the future? If there is one thing I got most out of the series is how wonderful his craft is!

M

[Wolfie]

I have nothing official yet, but keep an eye on our website/Facebook page/The Agora. I'll announce as soon as something's official.

So glad AF introduced you to Dale's art. And what *I* got most out of this series is a whole bunch of amazing alpha-friends, including you, Sypes! It was really great meeting you and I hope we see you at FanExpo again next year!

Oh, and I forgot to say to rplass: The rounded ear is driving me NUTS too!!! I feel some Tourette's coming on every time I see it, LOL!

Wolfie

[DIGGER]

After reading the cancellation news and all of these postings I only hope that Marvel sees the passion the fans and this latest group of creators have for Alpha Flight. I also hope that this isn't the end of AF and that an ongoing is in the future after all...because if we don't have hope what else is there (besides anger, bitterness, resentment, frustration, feeling of betrayal, etc.). BTW, I'm still gonna wear my Guardian suit for Halloween!

DIGGER

[Jason Eberly]

I have roughly 40 long boxes full of comics (and probably another 2 or 3 worth of loose issues around the house, my girlfriend of over 10 years thanks me very much!), and I have them broken into 2 categories: titles I currently collect, and all titles I dropped/cancelled/ended.

I just pulled the entire three volumes of AF out of the latter and put them into the former, shifting everything around Friday evening. Saturday comes and this news happens. Figures, donnit?

While I'm happy that we got any Alpha at all for these past (soon-to-be) 10 months or so, I would like to say I am not angry at Marvel.

I am extremely disappointed at them, however.

I am under no disillusionment that this was anything more than a fringe title for Marvel that would always be on the razor's edge of cancellation once it was announced that it would be ongoing. I figured that if it made it more than 20 issues (beating out Vol. 2), that it would be a success in my mind.

However, to not even let it get past its initial, designed-to-be-a-mini first arc to see if the fans would start to pick it up, to use the vernacular, sucks.

To announce that it would be an ongoing, and two months later announce its cancellation, blows.

To lose a title that doesn't month-in and month-out feature characters that feel like they don't just belong there (I'm looking at you, Avengers and FF), stinks.

I also feel bad for the creators. I know Fred, Greg, and Dale will all get more work (and I'm sure probably already do). Fred and Greg especially however, are dear to my comic heart. In an age filled with writers who write comic books, these two are comic-book writers. They are in a select handful of writers today who I feel actually write their stories for all ages, not talking down to children and not dumbing down their comics for adults. In an age where so often I read a comic and feel like taking a shower afterward to wash the stink of despair and hopelessness emanating from these characters that used to exude so much hope, Fred and Greg made things feel both serious and fun at the same time. They are throwbacks to the pre-90's type of writer that is quickly disappearing, and I feel that many of today's "mature" fans have chosen not to embrace as "edgy" and "cool".

I know I joke around a lot on these boards, and will continue to do so, but this is one moment I just have to shake my head and ask what Marvel means to me anymore.

[varo]

I agree with what Phil is saying and he makes a good point. Just because it's outselling some other ongoings, doesn't mean it's not losing readership. Now if the numbers on #5 come back and have leveled off or gained some readers I'm going to scratch my head.

Also, gen hope, xfactor, avengers academy are all heavy involved in a restructure with regenesis and the fall out of fear itself, so no way those books are in immediate danger.

The thing that really.......really..........REALLY BUGS ME, is that they should have never announced it as a ongoing!!! Keep it a maxi series, tell a great story, reestablish their place in the marvel universe. THEN launch a ongoing if the tpb sells well. Makes me question Who's running things at marvel. It just makes no sense. None.

[varo]

Oh btw, I am really gonna miss this creative team. Wolfie feels like a surrogate mom. You can tell how much dale loved these characters, and we all know fvl's love of them.



*sigh*

[CMatt78]

Wondered why it still said "of 8" on issue five's cover...

That sucks...even my wife, who doesn't "get" comics, thinks it's pretty low of Marvel to announce an ongoing and then change their mind.

At least it was fun while it lasted (though this is now officially the shortest Alpha ongoing series, no?)

[DelBubs]

Yep, out of the four volumes this is the shortest number of issues. That's if you leave Omega out of the mix.

[Le Messor]

At least it was fun while it lasted (though this is now officially the shortest Alpha ongoing series, no?)

Each one is shorter than the last.

[batman_von_gein]

alpha flight is the only marvel comic i buy and i use to hate dc. so in all it was about the only one i bought period. looks like i'm a dc fan now. i picked up batman and green arrow for the new 52 and i love them. and without alpha flight looks like i'll only buy issues with them in it. this is the best alpha flight since the first and its sickening to watch it go down the drain.

[Phil]

(though this is now officially the shortest Alpha ongoing series, no?)

Technically this was never an ongoing.

It was an ongoing in spoken word and online interviews, but never in print.

[DelBubs]

I'm pretty pragmatic about the whole thing. Being a Alpha fan kinda means that disappointment is always around the corner. I was excited by the thought of a Alpha ongoing, but in the back of my mind was the nagging feeling that maybe they jumped the gun a little, just to have what they perceived as good news at a Canadian Con.

Being a Alpha fan to me means sucking it up, having a rant and waiting patiently. If something happens in a few years then excellent. In the interim we can now talk about how Alpha hasn't been the same since volume 4 instead of harking back to the good old days of the 1990's. We now have an Alpha Flight that has more respected characters and are at their healthiest since the end of volume 1. For that I am extremely grateful to Freg and Dale.

Bitterly disappointed, but not surprised.